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'He's produced the goods': Ex-All Black's shock pick for Super Rugby Pacific MVP
Blues lock Luke Romano has been named by a former All Blacks star as his Most Valuable Player in Super Rugby Pacific this year.
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Speaking on The Breakdown, All Blacks centurion Mils Muliaina named Romano as his pick for the competition’s MVP award ahead of various other stars due to the influence the veteran second rower has had on the Auckland-based franchise.
Joining the Blues this year following 11 seasons with the Crusaders, Romano has been an integral figure for his new side during their run into this week’s quarter-finals as Super Rugby Pacific’s top seeds amid a 13-match unbeaten streak.
The World Cup-winning 36-year-old made 136 appearances for the Crusaders en route to winning five titles, and Muliaina said that injection of experience has been a key factor in the success enjoyed by the Blues this year.
“I think what Luke has done this year, in terms of his leadership, he’s brought some real backbone to the Blues,” Muliaina told The Breakdown.
“This Blues team is totally different. The coaches have done an outstanding job, with Leon [MacDonald] and Tom Coventry, but they’ve brought this man into the frame that takes a baby Blues team and has that real backbone.
“Over a number of years, we’ve gone, ‘Oh, here we go, not the Blues again, not this Blues of old again’. They haven’t got that.
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“That’s built around this guy who used to be in the Crusaders. He’s brought that element to it, but he’s also produced the goods.
“I remember that first game when he first played for the Blues. He came back and I was like, ‘Man, he’s massive, he looks absolutely huge’, but he went 80-odd minutes that game.
“I was like, ‘Mate, he has got a big engine’, so, from then on, what he’s done is taken the whole team with him. That backbone, I reckon, a lot of that is contributed to the way the way Romano has come into this and shared that.”
It’s for that reason that Muliaina picked Romano not only as his Super Rugby Pacific MVP, but as one of two locks in his Super Rugby Pacific New Zealand Form XV.
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“It has to be Luke Romano,” Muliaina said. “Luke Romano, to me, the reason why he is [my MVP] is because of what his influence was for this Blues team.”
Muliaina’s fellow panellists Sir John Kirwan and Jeff Wilson agreed with his assessment about how valuable Romano has been for the Blues, but offered their own alternative selections for the MVP accolade.
Instead, Kirwan picked Blues captain Dalton Papalii – who he labelled the “best loose forward in the country” – as his MVP.
“Mine was Dalton Papalii, and the reason for this is he is such a young man, really good leadership skills, and if you watch him, he actually has the ability not to say a lot as well,” Kirwan told The Breakdown.
“He’ll let Beauden [Barrett] talk, but what you’re seeing on the screen now, really good turnovers at the right time, and just has continued to grow this year and some great captain’s knocks.
“I think that maturity, leadership, [makes him the] best loose forward in the country.”
Wilson, meanwhile, opined that Crusaders star Will Jordan warrants the title of Super Rugby Pacific MVP as he believes the Christchurch-based outfit wouldn’t have finished the regular season in second place without his services.
“I’ve changed since we had the conversation this morning. I had Finlay Christie as being that guy, but then I looked deep into the fact I don’t think the Crusaders are even in this conversation without Will Jordan,” Wilson said.
“I think his performances this year have been so influential, the tries and creativity he has shown – had he not been playing like this, the Crusaders would not be sitting second on the table.
“I think his form this year has been as good as I’ve seen in a long time in the No 15 jersey at Super Rugby level, and so, for me, I think he is the Most Valuable Player right now because they’ve done a lot of it without Richie Mo’unga.
“They needed someone to step up, they’ve finished second on the table. The players you’re talking about are great, but, bottom line, I don’t think they win as many games without him being on the field.”
Elsewhere, The Breakdown host Kirstie Stanway offered her own input as to which player should be crowned Super Rugby Pacific MVP.
“I challenge any of you three to argue with me, because my MVP for 2022 is Beauden Barrett,” Stanway said.
“He’s a difference maker. You talk about needing a world-class first-five to win a title, well if you look back at the champions over the last decade, they’ve all had international first-fives, and he’s been the difference for the Blues.
“They would not have won 13 in a row if it wasn’t for this guy.”
Papalii, Jordan and Barrett all joined Romano in Muliaina’s Form XV, which featured a total of nine Blues players, of whom were accompanied by two Chiefs, two Hurricanes, one Crusader and one Highlander.
Arguably the most notable selection comes at second-five, where Hurricanes star Jordie Barrett has been picked to accomodate for the selection of Jordan at fullback.
“He’s the top in terms of offloads, he’s second in terms of carries. In terms of his kicking metres, he’s third,” Muliaina told The Breakdown when asked to explain why he picked Barrett at second-five.
“Post-contact metres, he’s seventh, so you can’t leave him out because the fact is he was doing that post-moving into 12 from 15, and I like the fact he’s in a struggling team.
“That’s when guys really step up, guys who are All Blacks and incumbents step up. Will Jordan’s just in a class of his own at the moment. He’s just carving up, so I couldn’t leave him out.
“He goes to the back, Barrett goes to 12 because, when I look across the board in terms of all our 12s, I don’t think there’s actually a standout, out-and-out 12 that will go, ‘Hey, bang, I deserve to be picked in Mils Muliaina’s form team’.”
Jordan is the only Crusaders player to make Muliaina’s team, which the 2011 World Cup-winner justified by highlighting the squad rotation done by Crusaders boss Scott Robertson throughout the course of the season.
Mils Muliaina’s Super Rugby Pacific New Zealand Form XV
1. Aidan Ross (Chiefs)
2. Kurt Eklund (Blues)
3. Ofa Tuungafasi (Blues)
4. Luke Romano (Blues)
5. Tupou Vaa’i (Chiefs)
6. Shannon Frizell (Highlanders)
7. Dalton Papalii (Blues)
8. Ardie Savea (Hurricanes)
9. Finlay Christie (Blues)
10. Beauden Barrett (Blues)
11. Caleb Clarke (Blues)
12. Jordie Barrett (Hurricanes)
13. Rieko Ioane (Blues)
14. Mark Telea (Blues)
15. Will Jordan (Crusaders)
Comments on RugbyPass
No surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
2 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to comments